Beneath Those Walls
by SassyRebelChic
Summary: Max and her younger sisters, Nudge and Ella, move from sunny California to dry, hot Arizona searching for a new life. New friends and enemies are made, and secrets will be uncovered. But can Max keep her heart guarded like usual? Or will a certain dark, tall, and gorgeous black- haired boy carefully break her walls down? Normal highschool (All human) and usual pairings. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Max= 17 years old

Fang= 17 years old

Iggy= 17 years old

Nudge= 16 years old

Ella= 16 years old

Gazzy= 16 years old

Angel= 6 years old

Max POV

I stared out the car window, feeling depressed. It seemed like the world was taunting me today. The bright, sunny weather and the happy squealing of my younger sisters and their bouncing in their car seats, Ella and Nudge (long story), made me roll my eyes.

I wanted to scream, kick, or cry, but I'm Maximum Ride, and Maximum Ride doesn't cry. So I took out my Beats and my iPod, put the playlists on shuffle, and closed my eyes as I listened to the familiar tunes of Secrets by OneRepublic. I drifted into a dreamlike consciousness, in and out of sleep.

Suddenly, I was woken by a vigorous shaking. Opening one eye, I looked to see who woke me up. Nudge, my adoptive sister, stared down at me, her mouth forming words and me unable to hear, due to the headphones in my ears. Nudge rolled her eyes and yanked off my headphones, interrupting my previous song.

"OMG, Max, we're here! Arizona looks so much different from California, don't you think? I miss our home there, but look at this home! It's huge! Also, we'll be able to meet new people, and-"I slapped my hand over her mouth, unable to take any more of her wild rambling. I love Nudge to death, but she kills me with her motor mouth. We call it the Nudge Channel: all Nudge, all the time. She could turn Mother Theresa into a murderer with that mouth of hers.

I felt a wet, slimy but rough object inside my hand, and I yanked my hand away from Nudge's mouth. She rolled her eyes and resumed talking. "Mom said that we could choose our own rooms this time, since the house is huge! Ella has-"I was out of the car before she finished her sentence. The biggest room would be mine!

I reached the front door of our house, where Ella was fumbling with the keys. She finally managed to open the door, and I zoomed in there before she did, yelling, "I get the biggest room!" which was met with the choruses of "Not fair, Max!" which quickly faded out of my hearing range.

I passed the biggest den I had ever seen, along with a beautiful kitchen and a dining room, which was well furnished. I glimpsed a swimming pool in the backyard, which was great. Arizona probably got scorching in the summer. It would be great to cool down in.

I ran upstairs in a winding staircase, to the second floor. I saw plenty of well-sized bedrooms, but it just wasn't my taste or size. The third floor, I marked as my own. It was like a giant bedroom, with big windows and two bathrooms, both with Jacuzzis and a hot tub. The walls were bare and free of paint, even the door, but that would have to change later when I painted it. Everything was bare and free of furniture, except for the boxes in the center of the floor that had 'Max' written all over it. People must have known I would like this type of room.

Just then, my sisters, Nudge and Ella, came bursting through the staircase. Their eyes widened when they took in my new bedroom. I couldn't blame them. This place was awesome, not to mention huge and had everything I wanted. They were probably jealous.

"Max, that's not fair!" Ella yelled. "You always get the biggest bedroom!" She pouted, which Nudge mirrored.

I smirked. "Not my fault you were too slow getting up here, Ells-bells," I said, referring to my nickname for her. She glared at me, which made me smirk even wider. She sighed, defeated.

"Come on, Nudge. We'll get revenge on her later. Maybe a makeover?" They left with their heads together, no doubt scheming up ways to torture me later. I didn't care, as long as I still had this room. I sighed happily.

My mom's voice came floating up the stairs. "Max, honey, can you help us with the furniture? I'll bake cookies after!" I didn't have to be told twice. I'll do anything for either my mom's delicious cookies, or Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Yum. I made my way down the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

I groaned when I reached my mom. Piles of boxes littered the front doorway, and I was too lazy to carry all of them. Even with Nudge, Ella, and my mom pitching in, it would take at least 2 hours to unload all of our stuff, and probably 6 or 7 hours to put everything in its proper place. On top of that, we had to go shopping for materials for our bedrooms, like paint for the walls, beanbags, minifridges, sheets, pillows, and other stuff we didn't bother to bring with us, since we already had our hands full enough with the stuff we already had and needed. I guess my work was cut out for me.

Ella came bounding down the stairs. She flashed a wicked smile at me- uh oh. When Ella gets that look in her eyes and flashes her devilish grin, things aren't good for you. Of course, my punishment is the same thing every time: a makeover by Ella and Nudge. It's terrifying, and I can't get out of it, no matter what.

Just then, a familiar squeal came down the stairs, and in came in my motormouth sister. She started squealing and sighing and dancing around. We ignored her. This was pretty normal for her. But suddenly, she whispered something in Ella's ear excitedly, and Ella nodded. She smirked, and both of them turned to look at me.

"Let's get all this stuff inside at least before you girls give Max a makeover," Mom said, with a roll of her eyes. She knew everything about my torture but did nothing to stop it. I gave up on her trying to set me free long ago.

I leaned over and grabbed a box that was labeled 'music room' and put that to one corner. Soon Ella and Nudge joined in, and eventually, Mom started helping us. The boxes were piled according to category, which was a lot more organized than the last time we moved.

We were finished in an hour, which gave Mom some time to go to the store for some groceries and room supplies. "Ella and Nudge, sweethearts, can you run with me to the store? It won't take long," my mom asked. They agreed, and soon they were speeding off into the dust.

I climbed the stairs to my new room, and started unpacking. I started with the clothes, which took up 4 boxes. I'm not a girly girl (far from that), so they were all black, grey, white, and navy blue with the occasional emerald or red. It took me 20 minutes to locate all the boxes, find the clothes hangers, and put them in my giant walk-in-closet.

I heard the car doors slam as my mom and sisters came home. Soon, Ella and Nudge burst into my room, panting slightly. Ella had a bag filled with something, and Nudge held a 6 pack of Cokes in one hand, and cookies in the other. I drooled as Nudge came closer, holding a cookie in her hand and waving it back and forth. My eyes followed it, going side to side. Nudge set down the Cokes and motioned slightly to something behind me, but I was too lost to care. Until I realized what they were planning to do.

With a cry, something slammed on top of me, momentarily make me lose focus on the cookie. Ella snarled and took out a rope from her bag, along with duct tape and a bandana. Nudge quickly got a chair-when did she get that?- from outside the hall, and pushed me down on it, tying my hands and feet with rope and duct taping my mouth.

I finally gave up after 10 minutes of struggling, as it was pointless to fight them when they had the advantage. They smiled evilly. Ella said slowly," Maxie dearest, if you work with us, we'll give you cookies and coke. Just don't yell."

I rolled my eyes, and Nudge took out something from the bag Ella was holding earlier. Eyeliner. Oh my gosh, they were insane! I started struggling again, and Ella sighed. "I hoped we didn't have to use this, but you leave us no choice. Sweet dreams, Maxie dear." With those words, a sickly sweet smell invaded my nostrils, and the world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Max POV

I woke up sneezing as I inhaled something powdery. I opened my eyes, only to find Nudge and Ella standing on either side of me, grinning. Groaning, I sat up, and looked around me. There was a table surrounded with different bottles and tubes of makeup and a mirror covered with a sheet. I shuddered in horror to think of what sort of damage my evil sisters could have done.

Seeing my expression, Ella laughed. "Max, don't worry, you look beautiful. You're so pretty! And we only did your face, but you have to wear the things we tell you to wear or no more cookies for a week! Got it?"

I nodded meekly, but glared at Nudge when she threw some dark material at me. It hit me in the face, and I whipped it off and examined it. I expected the worst, but it was only a black off-shoulder top and dark wash jean shorts. Next she threw a pair of high-heeled boots with zippers. The heel wasn't too high, so they were feeling merciful today. Thank the Lord.

Nudge smirked at me, and began to ramble. "We chose out tonight's outfit only because we're going over to the neighbor's house for dinner tonight. I think there's a guy your age or something, and if he's the guy I think he is, then he's like the hottest guy EVER! He wears all black though. I wonder how he survives the heat wearing all black. It's like-"Ella slapped her hand over Nudge's mouth, yelling, "MY EARDRUMS ARE BLEEDING!" I nodded, agreeing.

Ella took her hand off of Nudge's, sighing in relief when Nudge didn't talk. She gestured for me to wear the clothes that were at my feet now, and I groaned. "Ella, can I just go in a tank top and jeans?"

"No way in hell. You're wearing what we picked out for you, and that's that. Just be glad we aren't giving you a dress. Unless you want to change our minds…?" Ella trailed off. Damn, that girl was like a perfect little angel sometimes, and evil devil the other. I shook my head and went into the closet to change.

When I came out, Nudge and Ella squealed. "You look totally hot! We're totally geniuses!" They high fived each other. I sighed and marched over to them, wobbling a little in heels. "Can I look at myself now? And if you did any sort of damage, I will burn all of your clothes. Got it?" They laughed, and Ella said," Don't worry, Max, you look gorgeous." And with that, she dramatically whipped the sheet off the mirror.

For a moment, I couldn't decipher who the girl in the mirror was. It couldn't be me; that was for sure. I had muddy brown eyes. This girl had shining chocolate brown eyes. I had stringy, limp, dirty blonde hair. This girl had smooth, silky, blonde hair with natural brown highlights and a dark blue streak in her hair. I had thin lips. This girl had full plump lips. I barely had any curves. This girl had an hourglass body, her off-shoulder top accenting every curve and her dark shorts contrasting and showing off her smooth, tan legs. Yet she copied my moves perfectly, and I could see a part of me in her. Surely it wasn't me?

My sisters held their breath, waiting for my reaction. When I didn't answer, they grew worried and started shaking me. I snapped out of my trance, amazed at their skill.

"This…is the best makeover you have done, little sisters." They squealed in joy. "But next time, don't knock me out. It's not pleasant." Ella's eyes glittered. "So there will be a next time?" She grinned. I shrugged.

Our mom's voice came up the stairs. "Girls, are you done with Max? We need to go over in 5 minutes! We don't want to be late!" Ella gave Nudge and I a once over. "All good, what about me?" Nudge said," You're fine, let's go!

The three of us walked down the stairs. I nearly tripped twice, not used to the heels. Ella and Nudge helped me down patiently.

I finally arrived downstairs, with the help of my sisters. My mother gasped a little, and suddenly, there were tears in her eyes. "Oh, Maximum," she said, using my full name, "you've grown into such a beautiful young woman." I chuckled awkwardly and hugged her. She sniffled a bit and said," We should be on our way now. We can't be late." With that, she opened the door and set off. With a glance at my sisters, we ran after our mom.

Since they were our next door neighbors, it took us about 30 seconds to get there. We were a little early, so we paused to look at their house. It was about our size, with a garden up front, and I could spy a swimming pool in the back.

After about a minute, we stopped our marveling and walked over to the front door. I stepped up and rang the doorbell. Immediately, the door flew open, revealing a young girl with short, blonde, curly hair and wide baby blue eyes. She was just so cute; you couldn't help but love her.

The little girl smiled shyly. "Are you the guests that Mommie was expecting?" she said in a high, clear voice.

My mom nodded. "Yes, can you tell your mommie that Dr. Martinez and her daughters are here?" The little girl nodded, her little curls bouncing against her cheek. She slipped inside the house.

We could hear some yelling for someone to come downstairs. Thirty seconds later, a woman came to the door. She had an olive tone, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a dress, so it was evident that she had dressed up. She smiled warmly at us.

"Hi, Valencia! Oh, I haven't seen you in such a long time!" The woman hugged my mom with such familiarity that I guessed his was probably Anne Walker, my mom's best friend that came up in all of her photos.

"Hey, Anne. I missed you, too." My mom replied. She then turned around and introduced us. "The tallest one is Max, the girls behind her are Ella," she pointed out my sister, "and this is Monique, though she prefers Nudge." My mom gestured to my adoptive sister.

"They're so pretty! Hello, girls! Just call me Anne; Mrs. Walker makes me feel older. Oh my, where are my manners? Come in, come in!" she ushered us inside. I smiled. Anne was such a warm lady.

I walked in, expecting an ornately covered den and chandeliers everywhere and all the fancy things that cost too much and have no purpose. I was surprised to see a moderately furnished place with a few odd pieces. Her home had just the right amount of style but gave a cozy feeling. I liked it.

We walked into the dining room. My eyes popped open, and my stomach suddenly growled fiercely. The table was overflowing with food, from spaghetti to pizza. I moaned quietly. My little sisters giggled.

Anne turned to us with an apologetic look. "Sorry, my sons have been out to play tennis, and they just got back. They'll be down here shortly."

"It's fine, we understand. Max here loves tennis a lot. She also does track and self-defense. She comes home 5 hours after all that. Honestly, it worries me sometimes." Mom shook her head, smiling at me. I grinned back.

Anne said," Have a seat! Robert (her husband) should be here any minute now." As soon as the words left her mouth, someone came into the room. He had a lean figure, with black hair and black eyes. He had fair skin, though, so I could see where their little daughter came in. She was a spitting image of her mother.

"Hello, Valencia!" He chuckled lightly. "I haven't seen you in 20 years!" He reached over for a hug, which my mom hugged back. It was sort of weird, seeing her hug a guy that wasn't my father. But then, my father did leave her. I winced a bit, trying not to remember the monster that ruined our lives.

We all sat down, me next to Nudge, who was next to Ella, who was next to Mom, who was across from Anne, who sat next to the other side of his wife, leaving the spaces across the three of us and the one next to me empty. I guess the girl and Anne's sons would be sitting there.

I was trying not to drool all over myself when three boys came in. One was tall and pale, with strawberry blonde hair and clouded blue eyes. He was blind, I could tell. The other one looked just like the taller one, except shorter and with a rounder face. He had clear mischievous eyes and a wide smile on his face. The boy who came in last nearly took my breath away.

He was lean and had a chiseled chest, but not ripped. Black, tousled hair hung along the edges of his face. His eyes were like onyx with clear flecks of gold. He also had athletic looking legs and muscled arms that most boys would kill for. He was dressed from head to toe in black. All in all, he was HOT.

They slid into the empty seats across from us: Blind Boy in front of Ella, who was trying not to ogle, Mischievous Boy in front of Nudge, who was also trying not to stare, and Hawttie in front of me, while I tried to look bored, and probably succeeded in.

We said grace and started on our food. Chatting filled the air as our parents talked and caught up, Ella flirted with Iggy, Gazzy flirted with Nudge, and Fang and I ignored each other. I was helping myself to a generous portion of pizza, and was just starting on my second slice when I was interrupted.

The little girl who had answered the door earlier came into view and plopped herself next to me. She smiled shyly at me and asked," Are you Maximum?"

"Mm-hmm. Although I prefer to be called Max, you can call me Maxie, since you're special. Maximum is a mouthful, don't you think?" I told her gently. I was surprised. Usually, anyone that called me Maximum would get the bird or a great pain their sensitive spots. This girl was just irresistible though.

"I'm Angelica, but I'm called Angel." Angel said. She sat there for a moment, lost in thought. She piped up," Max suits you. It's a pretty name for a pretty girl."

I blushed slightly and mumbled," I'm not pretty." Angel, the sweet girl, shook her head.

"You're beautiful and I wish Fang had you for a girlfriend instead of the weird red headed girl. She barely wears clothes," Angel said solemnly with large doe eyes.

I blushed harder, the rose in my cheeks getting obvious now. I could see Fang out of the corner of my eye trying not to smirk. I flushed now with an evident red color, which totally embarrassed me, as Nudge and Ella took one look and started giggling. I sighed.

"Maxie has a crush, Maxie has a crush!" Nudge whisper-shouted in my ear. Might I remind you that it was really loud, and everyone at the table could hear it? Well, I just about died of embarrassment.

Thank the Lord that it was time for dessert right when I thought I couldn't tolerate it anymore (Nudge and Ella teasing me, and Angel telling me I was really pretty and should go out with Fang). I fell gratefully in my Cherry Garcia, which I had 3 bowls of.

The adults and the boys (minus Iggy) looked at me in astonishment as I mannerfully had one, then two, then three owls of the largest bowls in the house. Well, Fang, not so much. (In the short time that I met him, I realized he doesn't talk very much, or shows much emotion.)

"My, my, Max, you sure do eat a lot! And you're so slim! I'm guessing you have a high metabolism?" Robert asked me. I nodded, surprised. Most people just thought I worked out too much, but only doctors and my mom could tell the difference.

Seeing my slightly astonished expression, he chuckled. "I'm a doctor in this town. Although I think the house describes my job pretty well."

Nudge and Ella giggled next to me, and I rolled my eyes at them. I was a little surprised when Nudge called out to Angel.

"Angel, sweetie? Could you come here for just one second? We need to talk to you." Huh. Wonder what the evil devils were up to.

Angel bounced over to them. Ella beckoned her closer and whispered something in her ear. Angel's face brightened, and she beamed and nodded like a happy dog. They all turned to look at me, and I tried not to gulp.

Angel asked the next question which nearly made me faint. "Maxie, can you take us shopping tomorrow? I want to go to the mall with Nudge and Ella." Her eyes grew wide, and she blinked. Bambi eyes! Auughhh! She's killing me!

I managed to croak out," Sure, We'll pick you up whenever. You and they can sort it out." Why, oh why, did it always have to be me?


	3. Chapter 3

Max POV (probably always will be)

"Ooh, Max, try this! It looks so HOT on you!" Little six-year-old Angel cried out, holding a crop top that said 'I'm not being rude. You're just being insignificant.' "It totally suits you!"

Right now, it was Saturday morning and I was being dragged all over the mall. Currently, we were at Forever 21, where sweet Angel, along with Ella and Nudge (who did nothing to stop her) was handing me piles of tops and skirts and shorts. Shorts and some of the tops I could accept, but the majority of them? They were a huge no no. But Angel's Bambi eyes changed everything, so I took out my credit card and just went along with it. Except for some of the skimpy ones, I bought them all. Hey! Don't blame me! Bambi eyes are like _the _hardest things to resist. They're even harder than cookies or Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. And damn, they are hard to resist, lemme tell you.

My arms were sore from holding 15 bags of clothes and unnecessary tubes of makeup. My legs were also not functioning properly, not just because of the hours I was dragged around in different stores, but because they had woken me up so early, those little devils!

_"Shhh, she's not fully awake yet," I could just make out a whisper coming next to my ear. I groaned quietly, because today was Saturday, and I usually sleep in until about 3 in the afternoon. _

_ "Do you have the cookies?" Someone asked. At these words, I moaned louder. Someone giggled._

_ "Maxie, you promised me we could go shopping today, remember?" A sweet little voice rang in my ears. I rolled around, ignoring the voice._

_ Someone -Nudge? - sighed. She then brought something directly under my nose, which brought the intoxicating scent into my nostrils. Chocolate-chip cookies! At this, my eyes flew open. The cookies were now just far away enough so that I could see the three people behind the platter._

_ Ella, Nudge, and Angel smiled angelically. I groaned and glanced at my alarm clock. "Can you tell me why the fu-"Ella shook her head, indicating at Angel. Oh. She wouldn't know cuss words, so it was better to let her keep a pure mind. Though I'm pretty sure it was now tainted thanks to my dear evil sisters._

_ I sighed and sat up. "Okay, now tell me why you three are in my bedroom, on a Saturday, at 7 o'clock in the morning. Because if you don't start explaining in 5 seconds, I'm gonna burn your makeup bags and throw it away._

_ Ella and Nudge both looked horrified at the mere thought of it, so they opened their mouth and started speaking. "Well, Angel here wanted to have a little early start on the shopping trip you promised us last night. So, we agreed." They smirked at me, while Angel nodded her head, her curls bouncing. I sighed again._

_ Before I could get a word in, Angel interrupted me. "Maxie, I really wanna go shopping lots and lots, and I wanna buy you something, too. See? I have my piggy bank!" Grinning toothily, she showed me a plastic pig and jiggled it. No sound was made, so it must be full of dollar bills, or empty._

_ She then pulled out her most dangerous weapon: Bambi eyes. I struggled for 3 minutes, and that was an impressive fight. Needless to say, I lost, so I groaned, defeated. "Fine, you win. I'll be downstairs in 20 minutes."_

_ I dragged myself off the bed and went into my private bathroom, which was only halfway finished. I splashed cold water and dried my face with a towel. When I came out of the bathroom, a pair of short denim jean shorts and a loose flowing top was on my sleeping bag, along with white converse and a note, which read, 'Max, if you don't wear this, we're going to take away your not-so-secret stash of chocolate away from you, as well as the chocolate chip cookies. Dang, these girls were pure evil. How many times have I mentioned that?_

_ Grabbing my car keys once I was ready, I made my way down the stairs, where the three of them were waiting impatiently. Angel was jumping up and down in excitement, and I couldn't help but tenderly kiss her on the forehead while she squealed in joy. _

_ Shaking my head, I lead them to my Mercedes and hit the gas pedal. If only I'd known what a nightmare this would turn out to be, worse than I ever imagined…_

And that was why it was only 10: 30, and I was holding 7 bags on one arm and 8 bags in the other. Ella and Nudge were carrying two, and Angel carried one that was full of her clothes. Ella and Nudge were both carrying their own clothes, and I was carrying half of Ella's and half of Nudge's in my right arm, so the extra seven were for me. Great, I can't wait to try them on. I rolled my eyes at the thought.

After about an hour more of this (and the sounds of my poor credit card), Angel piped up. "Maxie, I'm hungry," she said quietly. "Can we sit down and eat?" She looked up at me, her blue eyes wide.

I nodded, too relief to utter anything. We sped over to the food court and managed to find an empty table where there was enough room for all of us, which, sadly, included the shopping bags. I sank down gratefully in one of the chairs and rubbed my sore arms, where there were visible red strips of skin from where the shopping bags had tortured me. Angel sat next to me, and my sisters put down their bags and stood up.

"We're having Wendy's, what do you guys want?" I glanced around and spotted Chick-fil-A. Yum. I scanned the menu, since we were really close to it.

"I'll have two spicy chicken sandwiches deluxe with pepper jack cheese included, two cokes, 3 extra-large fries, and ice cream later. Angel, sweetie, what about you?" Her expression turned thoughtful, and glanced around. "I want the chicken strips and a coke, Ellie!" she told Ella, in which she nodded and gave Angel a smile before bouncing off with Nudge to Chick-fil-A. I sighed in relief and slumped over on the table.

Angel happened to be looking around and she squealed in surprise. "Max, isn't that Fang and Iggy and Gazzy?" I whirled around, surprised. There they were, not far from us at all, but they weren't alone. A blonde-haired girl was sitting next to Iggy, laughing and chatting with him. Gazzy was fiddling with something in his hand that looked suspiciously like a bomb. And Fang, oh Fang, had one heck of a girl next to him.

Her most distinct feature would be her hair at first, until you heard her screechy voice. Anyways, she had emerald green eyes and a pale face, caked with makeup. She would have been pretty if not for her clothes, or should I say lack of clothing. Her tube top barely covered her large chest, and her miniskirt was so short it was a wonder it managed to cover her whole ass. Talk about skimpy, and this girl is the one for ya.

Angel stood up. "Max, can I say hi to my brothers? I haven't seen them in forever!" She grinned at me, and I couldn't resist.

"M'kay, Angel, but let me go with you. I don't want anyone trying to snatch you away." Standing up, I grabbed her small hand, wincing a little when she yanked on my sore arm while half-dragging me to her siblings.

Fang looked up when we got closer. His eyes softened when he saw Angel, but they hardened when he noticed me holding her hand. A strange fire lit up in his eyes, just for a brief second, before dying out, so quickly that I wasn't sure if I had imagined it. Speaking of his eyes, they were a luscious deep black with tiny little flecks of gold, now that I was a bit closer up. And his hair, looking silky smooth and soft, I would love to tangle my hands in it to feel it…. Whoa, Maximum Ride! Don't think those thoughts! Not after what Sam did to you… I winced at the mention of my ex-boyfriend that destroyed my life, along with my father. Don't think of him, don't think of him, I chanted in my head. Don't.

Gazzy's voice snapped me back to the present. "Hey, Angel, hey Max," he said, nodding to both of us before going back to his bomb. I wonder how he made those out of plastic spoons and Jell-O cups. Okay, Max, back to the present.

"Hi, Gazzy! And Iggy, and Tessa, and Fang! Maxie just took me shopping with Ellie and Nudgie, and it's so fun! We bought a lot of stuff for Max, and she's been awesome!" Angel beamed. It was hard to resist the smile that came on my face. Whenever Angel was happy, so was I (most of the time, anyways).

I noticed the red-haired girl eyeing my clothes in disgust, and I gave her a death glare, Maximum Ride style, at her while she whimpered slightly and clung tighter onto Fang's arm, which looked like it had several bruises. Ouch.

"Who are you?" the red-head screeched. Man, did she have a nose job? And it looks like she did plastic surgery on her chest, too.

"Well, I'm Max Ride, and it's just dandy to meet you!" I exclaimed in a fake country tone. I held out my hand as if meaning to shake hers, but instead cracked my knuckles.

"Isn't Max a boy's name?" she inquired. I rolled my eyes dramatically and dropped the accent. "I'm a girl, and my name is Max, so I guess not."

"I'm Lissa Hawkins, and I'm Fangie-poo's _boyfriend._ So stay away from him, because I could totally tell you were checking him out!" She huffed and crossed her arms, making her bony elbows just out. I laughed.

"Puh-leez, Lissa, I have no interest in Fang whatsoever. Or anyone else." At this, I thought Fang's eyes had hinted at hurt or curiosity, but disappeared so soon I probably imagined it. I continued," I'm not here for a relationship, sweetheart. So don't worry about me stealing your precious boyfriend." I snorted. "Besides, the only reason I came here was because Angel wanted to say hi to her brothers, and I didn't want to let her go alone."

"Angel is perfectly fine by herself," a deep, rich voice spoke quietly. Fang had spoken for the first time. That was a surprise. I was beginning to think he was mute.

"Well, at least the mute speaks. Should I be happy?" I asked no one in particular. Angel, Gazzy, and Iggy, along with his girlfriend, who I assumed was Tessa, smiled. Lissa's face morphed into a sneer, while Fang's remained impassive.

Before anyone could say anything that could make this conversation more interesting, we heard a yell from a couple of tables down. Nudge and Ella were holding up our food, which made my stomach rumble slightly. I turned towards the group and smiled.

"Sorry, but we gotta go. Nice meeting you, Flame head, and everyone else." I nodded slightly and spun around on my heel, with Angel right behind me, leaving a frustrated Lissa, impassive Fang, and his now laughing friends.

We reached the table where our steaming food was waiting. Licking my lips slightly, I sat down and took out one of my sandwiches. I finished one in a minute, while Angel looked slightly fascinated. Ella and Nudge wore expressions of disgust and astonishment.

"How can you eat all that so fast and stay so thin?" Angel asked me. I swallowed the rest of my sandwich, gulping some coke. I gasped for air and said, "Well, I have a fast metabolism. That means," I said, seeing Angel's confused expression,"I digest my food faster so I don't get fat." She nodded.

An hour later, our stomachs were just about to burst. I sighed deeply and patted my slightly bulging stomach. "Whew, I think that was the most I've eaten in a day! Well, you guys ready to leave now?" I asked them. Angel shook her head.

"Max, can you get a dress, please? I want for you to have a dress so you'll look prettier!" She grinned, and I couldn't help but agree, although I knew I would deeply regret it later. I nodded, and she squealed in happiness. Nudge and Ella wickedly smiled. Uh oh, Ella and Nudge would never spare me. Oh, boy, what did I just agree to?


	4. Chapter 4

"Max! How about this one?" Ella held up a bright yellow dress that was wayyy too short for my taste. I shook my head, wishing this trip could be over already. Ella nodded for a moment, then put it back on a rack.

We returned to Forever 21 after we finished our food. Angel wanted me to buy a dress, for what reason I don't know, but she wanted to, so I agreed. Nudge and Ella had tried to find different dresses for me, but none of them exactly fit my style. We'd been here for about 30 minutes, and if we stayed any longer, I'd either combust spontaneously or get the hell out of this hellhole.

A tap on my shoulder snapped me out of my daze. Nudge was holding something out to me. It wasn't a bad dress, being very simple and non-frilly. It was made out of a rich, deep blue silk. A black sash swept the waistline and below it, making it look like an illusion. The dress had thin spaghetti straps and the straps crisscrossed over each other at the back. All in all, it was pretty beautiful.

Nudge was about to squeal from excitement. "Max, I think you should get this one. I mean, it's so pretty and it looks like it'll compliment your figure perfectly. I think the sash really completes the look, though, and the straps on the back are just so amazing! The blue hue makes your eyes pop and goes well with your hair, since it has highlights. OMG, my nude heels would go perfect with this, and maybe you could even try a dark, smoky look with the makeup. I think tha-"I slapped my hand over her mouth, unable to take her ranting.

"Nudge, I think this dress is the prettiest we've seen, but it's not like I'm going to wear it anytime soon, you know? And I think you should really stop rambling. It might kill everyone's eardrums. I shook my head and chuckled.

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Max, honey, look at me. You might not know when you have to wear this dress. It could be today! Like when-"A look of horror spread across her face, and she abruptly stopped talking. I narrowed my eyes at her. Something was going on.

Just then, Ella came over. She took one look at the dress and announced, "We're buying this one. I mean, it's so pretty! If you put on the right shoes and makeup, you'd look sexy but dangerous. It suits you." With that, she took the dress and wallet, which held my credit card in it, and marched up to the register, where a bemused cashier was waiting.

I whipped my head around to look at Nudge, who had an amused look on her face, but that quickly turned to slight panic when she saw my gaze, prompting her to tell me her secret. She gulped slightly and beelined to Ella. She whispered something in Ella's ear, which turned her slightly pale. She turned to Nudge and started scolding her quietly. Nudge smiled sheepishly. My gaze narrowed. What were those two up to?

Ella marched back up to me with my dress, Nudge in tow. My eyes were practically slits now. She cleared her throat, looking determined. "Max, we bought you the dress because you're going to a party tonight with us. Don't complain," she added, seeing me about to interrupt her with some colorful words I had in mind. I closed my mouth, furious.

"Ella, today is a Saturday. I'm not going to some stupid party when I could be at home relaxing. Besides, you know I don't give shit about that crap. So leave me alone." I grabbed all the shopping bags that I was carrying and set outside to escape in my car.

"Maaaaaaaxxxx," I heard Ella's voice wail. I ignored her and made it to my car. I patted my pockets for my keys just when I realized I left my keys with Ella and Nudge. Shit. This doesn't look good. It was either walk home with 15 bags of clothes on my arms or go back to Nudge and Ella.

I picked up all the bags and started towards the direction of my house, deciding not to face a furious Ella and Nudge. Nobody wants to come within a mile radius when those two are angry. Lemme tell you, the sigh isn't pretty.

Just then, I felt a strong hand holding me back from taking any further steps. I whipped my head around, my hair momentarily blinding me. I looked through a curtain of blonde-brown hair to see a tall, lean figure clad in black. Fang. My lip curled into a sneer at him. I can't believe I mistook him for a nice guy. Turns out he's a jerk like everyone, like anyone else in this town. Ugh.

Fang cleared his throat. "Umm, Max, right?" I glared at him, not speaking. He cleared his throat again. "I sort of noticed you were going home without a car, so I was wondering if you wanted to ride mine?" The end of his statement turned slightly into a question. I continued glaring at him through narrowed, suspicious eyes. He sighed. "They told me you were stubborn, but I didn't know you're this stubborn," he muttered so quietly I could barely pick up, but I picked up, all right.

I snarled, "Fang, stay the hell away from me. I can manage on my own, thanks very much. And aren't you supposed to take your girlfriend home or something?" My voice spat out the girlfriend part. Man, I sounded jealous. Which was totally not the case.

The corner of his mouth curled a bit into a crooked smile. "You sound jealous, Max." I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically.

"Oh, no, you guessed my deepest, darkest secret. How did you know?" I fluttered my eyes, then open it and glared at him. He stared back without blinking. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. After all, it isn't every day when someone can withstand my death glare, with the exception of Nudge and Ella, but that was because they grew up getting those glares from me all the time.

"Easy. I saw you glancing at me the whole time after our little talk in the food court. Not that I'm not tempting. I mean, everyone wants this," he gestured to his body, which was pretty muscled. I fought down a blush and rolled my eyes.

"Please," I drawled out the word, "not everyone loves you and stalks you. Just because you think you're hot doesn't mean- you know what, forget it. I'm going home." I tried to move past him, but he stepped into my way and we bumped. Whoa, his chest is rock hard, and his scent- OK MAX! Stop daydreaming and get past this idiot!

Fang shook his head. "That's not happening anytime soon, Max. Either I'm taking you home or you meet a very pissed Ella and Nudge." He wagged a finger in front of my face. "Max, you know better than to mess with Ella and Nudge, especially anything to do with clothes, makeup, and all that crap." He shook his head again, which made his dark hair swish.

I snapped out of my daze at the mention of Nudge and Ella. "How do you know all that?" I questioned him, suspicious. Unless he was a stalker, how could he know?

"They were looking for you when I passed them, and I heard Ella muttering something about giving you special torture when they find you. Nudge looked pissed though, and she didn't talk that much. It was weird. But just out of curiosity," he asked, "what's the special torture?"

I shuddered involuntarily thinking about it. "Let's just say I don't appreciate being a human Barbie doll."

Fang snickered. "You're scared of your little sisters giving you a makeover? Max, I thought you were tougher than that, and I've only known you for a day." He snorted.

Suddenly angry, I barged past Fang and started running towards my house, which would be a 10 minute run. On the plus side, I had the moment of surprise and got a head start. Not to mention I was the most athletic and fastest person at my old school. On the down side, I had 15 bags in my arms and he had a car, but that would take a couple of seconds to start, if he even bothered to. Even so, things weren't looking good for me.

I had gone for about 5 minutes, trying not to get lost when I heard a roaring engine behind me. 'Please don't tell me that's Fang's car' was running in my head as I picked up the pace and ran faster than ever. Th roaring began to fade, and then abruptly stopped. 'Yes!' I chanted in my head. I slowed down a little. Maybe his engine had cut off.

My ears suddenly detected faint pattering footsteps. I probably shouldn't have done this, but I looked over my shoulder, only to find Fang running to me, trying to catch up, and damn, he was fast. I panicked slightly and ran, but the bags were holding me up, and I was a bit exhausted from running flat out dead sprint for about 7 minutes. Might as well stop now and go home, then run away from Nudge and Ella before they got home.

I screeched to a stop, panting slightly. With a slight gasp, I looked at my arm. The shopping bags' handles had strangled my arm, and now it was mostly blue. I rubbed it, trying to get my blood flowing again.

Something dark blurred in the corner of my eye, and I spun around, my good arm raised. An olive toned hand shot and grabbed my arm for balance, but that just tugged me over with him. We fell, and all I thought was 'Well, this should hurt.'

Fang rolled over so at the last minute, his back absorbed the impact of the fall. I shivered slightly when I noticed how close we were, our noses touching slightly and our breaths mingling. Both of our eyelashes fluttered slightly and touched each other. I was totally lost in the deep black pools he called eyes, mentally comparing them to Sam- No, Max, don't think about that cheating douchebag. He's out of your life now.

The thought of my ex- boyfriend was enough to jar me out of my daze, nearly making me cry, and push myself off of Fang, who was panting slightly. He sat up slowly, groaning slightly. "Man, Max, what did you eat, rocks?"

"Why, is your head missing some?" My voice cracked, and I forced myself not to cry. Thinking about Sam made me want to bawl my eyes out, punch something or somebody, and yell until I lost my voice. That cheating idiot. I never should have dated him.

Fang's voice lifted me to the present. "Max, are you okay?" His voice was genuinely concerned, I noticed with some surprise. I didn't think he would have feelings, with all that no emotion façade.

"Why are you even asking? I'm fine!" I said forcefully. He rolled his eyes.

"You're crying, Max. I don't think that's fine." My fingers flew to my eyes. I didn't notice my vision had blurred until I felt the tears. Suddenly, it felt like the world was suffocating me and battering me. Why did I have to show weakness? Especially in front of a sort-of hot guy (A/N: I think Fang is way hawtter than just hot, just FYI.), who I had just met yesterday? I covered my face, embarrassed.

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I knew it was going to be Fang, and I smiled feebly. 'No, Max be strong' a voice chanted in my head. The smile vanished on my face as a realization hit and struck home.

I hadn't shed a single tear for 6 years, when my ex-boyfriend cheated on me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I had one or two complaints about the last chappie, so lemme clear things up a bit.**

** Max wasn't crying because of Sam. She was crying because she was badly hurt in the head (not bleeding) and realized she hadn't cried since she broke up with the douche.**

** Fang doesn't seem as rude and whore-ish as some of the other fanfics because he shows more of his quiet deathly side in here. But he still talks regularly. Just not as quiet as in the books and not as much as Nudge. Nobody ever talks as much as Nudge, though.**

** Oh, yeah, and thanks to **_**shiipitlikeFedEx**_** for mentioning about Angel. I'm really sorry, but I forgot to mention what Angel was doing. She was just opinioning on the dresses.**

** That's about it, guys. Please enjoy reading. I really don't care about the reviews, but they're nice to expect and everything. It doesn't matter to me, so please read!**

** P.S. I'm really sorry for not updating for a week or two. My mom fell really ill, and I had to see over her. Please understand. So, I made this chapter extra-long. Thanks, y'all! **

After my little emotional spaz, I gathered up the bags and told Fang a ride was unnecessary. He started protesting, but when I gave him a look, he quieted.

But him being him, he decided to at least put all the bags in his car and let me run home (A/N: Sorry, this is a little weird) since our houses were practically touching.

I reached the front of our house, not at all tired. The throbbing in my head was a bit distracting, but otherwise I was fine. Thankfully, the troublesome trio wasn't home yet, since my car wasn't out front. Eventually, I would have to face them. Oh my gosh, this would be a total nightmare to even think about what they would do to me when they got home. For the short time I'd known Angel, we sadly discovered that she has a talent that could make us do anything. The dreaded Bambi eyes. And even more unfortunately, Nudge and Ella knew how to get Angel to use them and use it themselves. They would probably give me another makeover or make me wear a dress.

A rumbling engine jarred me from my dreading. The engine purred to a stop, and Fang jumped out, smirking slightly. Without saying a word, he smoothly walked over to the other side of his car and ducked his head in. I watched in slight surprise as he took hold of the 15 shopping bags which had nearly successfully tried to strangle my arms easily and fluidly stepped out. While he was adjusting the weights, his shirt rode up a bit and I got a peek at his abs. I have to admit, they were to die for. But then, I did have a 6-pack, too, while he had the 8-pack. Yummy.

Mr. Tall, Dark, and Glamorous started up the stairs towards the front door. While he was waiting, I patted my jean pocket for my keys. After quite a bit of searching (she has lots of stuff in those tiny pockets, huh?), I triumphantly held up a ring of dull silver keys. Quickly pushing the key in and unlocking the door, I reached out for the bags at Fang's arm. I still don't know why they haven't strangled him yet like they did to me, but his arms looked fine.

I half expected this, but was still surprised when Fang shook his head. "Nope, I'll take them in." I glared at him, slightly exasperated.

"What, you don't think I can't lift them on my own?" I raised one eyebrow, challenging him. He shook his head again; making those gorgeous black curls tumble around his head.

"I think I know you better than that, but I still have a hold on the bags. Just let me take it inside." With that, he slipped past me and into the unlocked door. I followed behind after locking the door.

Since the house basically had the same layout as his, it didn't take long for him to find the kitchen table. Heck, he found it faster than be, and this was my home. Well, he had been living in the neighborhood wayy longer. Fang set down the bags onto the floor next to the marble island.

A faint pattering sounded near us, getting louder. Must be my mom. I started distributing the bags into sections by the owner when a pair of arms wrapped around me softly. I turned around to find my mom's warm brown eyes.

"How did shopping go? I guess it went like last time?" she asked me with a spark of amusement in her eyes. I nodded meekly, while Fang sniggered quietly.

My mom turned around, noticing Fang. Her expression turned from surprised to inviting. "Oh, hi, Fang! I suppose you were the one that brought Max home this time?" When he nodded slightly with a slight smirk on his face, she continued. "Thank you for bringing her home. It happens quite often, and the outcome's pretty much the same." She shook her head fondly. "Do you want to stay for dinner? You can invite your brothers, too." My mom looked bright at the suggestion.

Fang pondered for a moment. "We don't really have plans tonight except the usual sports and whatnot. But, sure, we'd love dinner here. I think my brothers would enjoy it too, Mrs. Martinez." He spoke with surprising politeness. Why is it that he's so polite to everyone but me?

My mom laughed. "Please call me Dr. M. Mrs. Martinez makes me sound older than I really am, although I am a bit older now."

My ringtone, Heart by Heart (by Demi Lovato) blared at me. I checked the I.D. and groaned. "Ugh, it's Nudge. Should I take or no?" Fang shrugged slightly, ever the emotionless rock, while my mother laughed quietly and said," I say take it before she explodes," and left the room with a smile covering her face.

I pressed the 'answer' button and took it as far away as it could go from my hand just when Nudge started yelling into the phone.

"Maximum Louisa Ride! Where the hell are you? What were you thinking? Did you even think about your little sisters? We're nearly home now, and don't underestimate me when I say for the three of us when we are going to torture you so much. You owe us 10 makeovers. Oh yeah, and I saw Fang. But where the hell is you and you are in so much trouble! Got it, young lady? Good. Because we're home." The phone beeped, ending the call. I hurried to the window that overlooked the front façade of our house, and sure enough, there was my precious Mercedes with two very angry-looking Nudge and Ella and a sweet, innocent looking Angel trailing after them. I sighed, exasperated, and looked at Fang, who chuckled slightly. "You better either get your ass outta here or plug your ears and hope your eardrums don't bleed to death." He chuckled again. "Nah, I'm good. I wanna hear this.

The door opened with a loud crash while I made myself comfortable on top of the island. Angry footsteps marched into the kitchen, revealing a pissed- off Ella and a frazzled Nudge, who looked equally pissed. Angel followed right behind Nudge, giggling.

Ella made her way towards me slowly, her eyes glinting dangerously. I smirked breezily at her and stuck my tongue out. She growled, "Maximum, dear, you're gonna pay." With those cheerful words, she lunged at me.

Now, you know I'm all athletic and all, since I run track, play tennis, soccer, and practice fighting. You would've thought I could beat Ella easily, right? Wrong. It doesn't matter how much I've trained my body, honed my instincts, both Ella and Nudge will out-attack me. (I can still outrun them. ) So, like always, whenever this happens, the same thing happens to me every time. They attack and tie me up, sometimes knocking me out; depending on how much I struggle. I try to escape, which always fails epically. Eventually, they'll get me down or show mercy temporarily and attack me later.

I struggled, like always. Of course, I didn't really hurt them. Just jabbed them with my elbows and maybe tickle them in the stomach. Ella and Nudge were the same. Soon we're all a laughing heap on the floor, writhing away from each other while protecting our stomachs. I noticed Angel looking with a kind of fascination, while Fang just looked slightly amused.

Nudge was the first one to get up. She started giggling until she noticed Fang and shrieked.

"OMG, Max, so it was Fang that took you home this time? I would've thought you'd run away like the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth time. The second time was hilarious when you tripped on one of the bags and we caught up with you and you started yelling in the middle of the street saying you won't give up, so we had to pretend we didn't know you. People looked at you like you were crazy! Well, you did look crazy there, just rolling on the sidewalk and screaming that you wouldn't give up! It was hilarious! And then someone came up to you and said something about calling the police or something, I don't remember because I was laughing too hard. I thought I would die from outlaughing. Is that even a word? Anyways, then you got up and glared at us. And then the police started coming after us, so we had to make a run for it. You did outrun the police somehow, although I don't know how. Oh yeah, I forgot. Hi Fang! I'm Nudge. Well, my real name is Monique, which I really hate, because it sounds so weird! It's so old fashioned! Anyways, I like to talk a lot, and every time I started talking a lot, Max or Ella or whoever was next to me would nudge me, and one day after that, Max called me Nudge. So the name stuck. It's a weird name, but I think it's pretty cool and everything because nobody else has the name. You have a weird name, I just realized. Is that your real name or is it a nickname. It's a nickname, right? Cause if that were your real name that would be a little creepy. I mean, who names their kids Fang? Or Iggy? Especially Gazzy! Angel's a cute name and it suits her really well, since she looks like an angel. OMG, it would be so cool if we had wings like an angel. I think my wings would be brown or maybe light gold. I like those colors. You would look like you would have black or dark wings, like a raven, you know? Max would be a hawk, because of all her moods and everything. I swear, they're changing so fast and everything! Besides, hawks are strong and smart, not to mention pretty. Max is all of them. OMG, it would be so cute if you two were a couple! You guys are perfect for each other! Then you can marry and have cute little kids-"I slammed my hand on her mouth, muffling her words. She licked my hand but I didn't let go. "Nudge, one, you're making our eardrums bleed, split in half, stomped on, and thrown out. Two, how do you not run out of breath? Three, you don't know where my hands have been. It could've been on the streets." Her eyes widened dramatically large, and she swatted my hand away from her mouth and started spitting into the sink while I smirked smugly.

Fang's eyes were slightly widened. I could tell he was impressed by her ability to talk like that. Her usual rambles were three times that amount only if we don't cut her off every time. Let me tell you, she can jump from one topic to the next in three seconds and pretty much have talked everything you need to know. It can make a person go slightly crazy.

Angel started giggling. "Wow that was long. I agree with Nudgie though. Fang and Max make a way better couple than Fang and that red- haired girl." She turned to her slightly shocked older brother, who was staring at her in minute disbelief. "Why does the redhead not wear that much clothes? She looks so ugly because she has so much bright colors on her face. Max doesn't and she's really pretty and tough and smart and everything I wanna be when I grow up." She grinned, the gap of her missing front teeth showing. I couldn't help but smile affectionately at her, my heart growing fond of her.

Ella giggled. "Nudge and Angel sweetheart, could you guys come up to my room for a second? Max can stay with Fang and entertain him." She smiled mischievously. "Have fun!" she trilled. She and Nudge swiped the bags and carried it to the base of the stairway. The three skipped all the way to the top, whispering and laughing wildly. My face burned slightly, and Fang's face, I could've sworn his turned pale pink. I laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry about those two. They really don't take hints and everything." Fang chuckled.

"No problem. Oh yeah, and thanks for keeping angel busy. She really doesn't get girl time because she lives in a houseful of boys and its easier for my mom to do all the guy stuff than the girl stuff since there's 3 guys and only one girl." I shrugged.

"She's really sweet. It's kinds hard not falling for her, you know? Especially with those Bambi eyes…" I trailed off, shivering slightly. Fang chuckled. What is it with him and chuckling or smirking?

Suddenly, my mom came in in an apron that said, 'Kiss the chef.' She surveyed the mess in here with an amused smile.

See, that's what I love about my mom. She does have her rules like every mom, but she lets us be so carefree. Like, she never gets mad unless it's something huge, and rarely gets disappointed. We don't have a curfew, and sleepovers or having friends are fine with her all the time. Since she's been a single mom ever since Jeb, my ex- dad left us with a bunch of money and a note, it's been kinda hard on her. So instead of putting us on a leash, she lets us run wild. Not to mention she's an _ah-mazing _cook and baker. She makes the best cookies in the freaking world. Like, you haven't lived until you tasted one. But you won't, since they're mine.

"Max, sweetheart, can you clean up this mess so I can start cooking? And did you tell the girls the boys are coming over? They'd be pretty excited, don't you think?" My mom asked, a twinkle shining in her eyes.

"Sure, and nope, forgot. I'll tell them after I get all of this cleaned." I gestured to the mess and started to move everything back in its regular state while Fang helped. "Fang, do you want to go and tell your brothers? And oh yeah, I was wondering if you could play tennis with me sometime? I heard you really liked tennis." The words just spilled out of my mouth without a second thought. I blushed beet red when I realized it sounded like I was asking him out, and on top of that, my mom was there. Thankfully, she had been humming, and I had been quiet, so she didn't hear.

He looked pretty excited. "Sure. But let me warn you, I'm pretty damn good at tennis. I've been playing since I was 4 and never stopped. How long have you been playing?" He asked me.

"Let's see, I started when I was 5, so that would be 12 years. You'd be 13 years. Hey, but I'm not terrible, either. Besides, I play soccer and run track at the same time as tennis. I have actual abs." I smirked.

His eyes widened. "You have abs? How much do you work out?" We finished arranging everything so not a hair was out of place. I shrugged.

"About 3 hours a day, 5 top." He nodded. "I work 4 hours, 7 top. That's why," he leaned closer to my ear, "I have an 8-pack." He leaned back and chuckled. I stuck my tongue out in a childish manner. He rolled his eyes.

My mom turned around to see a spotless kitchen. "Thanks, guys. Now hurry along and tell Iggy and Gazzy they're welcome here for dinner. And say hi to your mother for me, will you, Fang?" He smiled and nodded. As he was about to leave, my mom called out. "Max, can you go with him? Anne has something to give to me, and I need you to carry it back."

"Mmkay," I replied, and set off towards the front door, where Fang was waiting patiently.

Without a word, we trampled through my lawn and into his. He took out a key similar to mine and unlocked the front door. We both stepped in, and I went straight to the kitchen while Fang locked the door and headed upstairs.

Anne was sitting on a kitchen stool with an apron on just like my mom's. A recipe book was lying out on her hands as she murmured something. She looked up and a smile spread across her face as she saw me. She hurried to get up.

"Hi, Max! Did your mom send you to get the package?" When I nodded, she turned around and grabbed a box sitting on the island and gave it to me.

"Anne, if you don't mind me asking, what's in the box?" I asked her, curiosity plain in my voice. Her gaze took one of a faraway one, and a slightly sad smile sprang on her face.

"It's pictures of our childhood. We were best friends: your mom, your dad, Robert, and I. Funny though, how we said we would get married to each other and we did, one at the age of 6 and one for real. Your dad was a special guy, and he really had a place in your mom's heart. Until he left her, of course." Her voice and features harden slightly. I can see deep wells of sadness and pain in her eyes as she remembers her childhood best friend sobbing and torn, ripped into shreds as the grief overwhelmed her. Anne sniffled slightly.

I stood there, a bit perplexed and wondrous. My mom had told me very little of her childhood. Now I understood. The man that broke her heart had done it. The man that used to be her best friend. The man that was called my father.

**Sorry the ending is a bit weird. Thank you for reading my crappy writing, and feel free to give me suggestions on how the chapters should go on. Criticizing, commenting, praises, doesn't matter to me. Please feel free to comment on any mistakes and don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. Thanks for reading this!**


	6. Chapter 6

I thanked Anne for the box and she sniffed and went to the living room. I turned to leave right when a certain dark-haired boy came into the kitchen and bumped straight into me. I stumbled back, trying to regain my balance, but that isn't really easy when you have a super heavy box in your hands. So of course, down I went while the box clattered to the floor (it's shut).

I thought my face really was going to hit the ground until strong, ropy arms caught me and shot me back up and we were face-to-face, our breaths mingling into one. His shaggy hair hung slightly into my eyes. His nose was just touching mine. Our mouths were so close that if I moved forward even an inch, our lips would touch. Those perfect full lips looked so… kissable, and I was tempted to lean forward, just to see how his lips would feel pressing against mine, our bodies moving in synchronization. He looked at me with a heated gaze, and started to lean forward when someone came into the kitchen, banging the door open forcefully, making us jump apart.

Gazzy stood in the doorway, shrieking slightly. He clutched something that looked suspiciously like a bomb in his arms. Laughing quietly, he shook his head and that's when he noticed us. And our flushed faces.

He sniggered. "Jeez, Fang, making a move on Max already? You've known her for a day, and besides, you have a girlfriend. What's her name?" he snapped his fingers and tried to remember. "Liza or something like that." Fang looked slightly angry and embarrassed at his younger brother.

I spoke up, trying to change the subject. "Uh, Gazzy? Is that a bomb?" I asked warily. He nodded and said, "This is one of Iggy's. I wanted to try it out on somebody, but Ig wouldn't let me. Oh yeah, he's looking for me, so don't tell him where I am." He ran swiftly towards the other open door. Fang sighed and shook his head fondly.

"Do you want to get that box and head home? I'll tell the Igster and Gaz as soon as they stop fighting over a bomb." I sniggered slightly.

"Sure. But why do they have bombs? And how do they make them?" I was curious. Fang shrugged his shoulders.

"Beats me. They're pyrotechnics, so they do that sort of stuff. They are one heap of trouble for my mom, though, with something blowing up every day. It gets pretty chaotic in here." He moved towards the box, which was lying on its side on the floor. He reached down and heaved it up; not looking the least bit struggled.

I leaned over to help, but he shook his head stubbornly. "I'm taking it, Max. You can run ahead or something."

An idea popped into my head. "If you carry that home, I'll tell those two blonde headed weirdos to come over for dinner right now. Sound good?" He nodded and made his way out the door. Before he left though, I dug around my pockets and tossed him the key, which landed on top of the box. I made a shooing gesture and headed upstairs, where Igs and Gaz were probably fighting.

Sure enough, as I reached the top, distinct voices floated down the hall. I followed the sound to a set of doors. Just as I was about to knock, a boom sounded and the door rattled. I could hear flesh smack flesh and scolding the other, and without bothering to knock, I barged into the room.

Gazzy and Iggy were standing there, looking guilty. Their expressions turned to relief as they saw me, though. They looked like two kids stealing from a candy store and being caught. Except two little kids stealing didn't always have gray soot on their heads and clothes, and they didn't have what looked like the remains of a bomb in their hands.

Iggy was the first to speak. "Hey, Max, whatup? You should've seen the bomb explode. It was so awesome!" He and Gazzy high-fived, grinning wildly. I laughed.

"You guys better clean this up before your mom sees this and flips." Their expressions were identical to one another, both at ease.

"This happens all the time, so we just have a little something to clean it up pretty fast. Anyways, what brings you here?" Gazzy was the one to speak this time. He grinned at me.

I grinned back. "My mom wanted to know if you guys and Fang could come over for dinner tonight. And after, we can do whatnot, you know, goof around."

They both shrugged their shoulders, mirroring each other. "Sure, sounds pretty good. Just give us a sec." With that, I left the room.

I wandered slowly down the hallway when an open door caught my eye. My curiosity urged me forward, and I stepped inside.

Holy smokes, this room was unbelievable. The walls were painted a smoky gray with white trim, which gave it a sort of mysterious look. A humongous bed was at the corner or the room, and across from it was a flat screen TV with black beanbags and DVD's and CD's and just about every movie there was. A computer sat on a dark mahogany desk. This room was gigantic.

I fingered the bedspread absentmindedly and sat there until I heard Gazzy's voice.

"Max? Max? Come on, we're ready. Let's go," My eyes widened. Gazzy was trying to imitate Fang's deep voice and managed to sound exactly like him.

I flew down the stairs, where two casually dressed pyrotechnics were waiting for me. I grabbed the back of their T-shirts and headed out the door cheerfully.

The two protested and their hands flew to their throats, clawing at my arm. I ignored their feeble attempts and released their necks at the front of my home.

Both gulping for air, they glared at me. "Maxie, it isn't nice to drag your friends by the neck and choke them. If I died, everyone would be crying so hard and missing us." Iggy shook his head in mock anguish. I snorted.

"Yeah, the day you die is the day I'll be celebrating. I might be happy enough to send you a couple of flowers." I shook my head and turned to the door. My hands patted down my pockets for the keys, and frowned slightly when it wasn't there. I started patting all my other pockets to check, double check, and triple check, and kept hitting my pockets.

Just as I was about to knock on the door, it flew open, revealing a smirking Fang. He dangled a key ring in the air. My key ring. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, Fangles, when did you sneak it out of my pocket? Cuz I don't remember."

He kept smirking. "You tend to fall a lot, huh? It's okay. Girls can't help themselves. I mean, who can? Look at this," he gestured to his, grudgingly, attractive body with its sculpted muscles.

I snapped out of the trance and marched inside. "Next time, just ask for the key. You don't have to snatch it out of my pocket. And Fangles, might I remind you that I happen to be very capable of kicking you in the right places if you get over your head." I warned him. He just kept his smirk, which was unfortunately growing bigger. Iggy and Gazzy trailed after Fang, who had now made his way inside the house.

I was trying to find the kitchen with the scents of pizza and cooking spaghetti, sniffing the air and inhaling deeply. The others were staring at me weird (Iggy in the general direction), especially when I announced, "This way, guys!" and ran towards the way in where I had pointed. They followed me anyways, being three teenage boys who were hungry.

I stepped into the kitchen, where my mom was setting down the pizza box and opening it on the dinner table. She was in her doctor coat, so she must me going out to the vet. The troublesome trio wasn't in here yet, so that was a good sign.

My mom turned around and took notice of us. "Max, hon, can you get your sisters and Angel? They're in Ella's room. Oh," she leaned in closer to my ear so the boys couldn't hear, "Don't tell them that the boys are here. They'll take forever getting ready, don't you think?" She winked at me and turned to three very relaxed Walker boys who were already helping themselves to the pizza. "Guys, I have to run to the vet again, and I won't be back until tomorrow morning. We have a diagnosed newborn cow. It doesn't matter what you do, so help yourself. Max, I already set up the cinema and put up the pool lights, so do whatever. Tell the girls I said bye, and Angel needs to be tucked in at 10 at the latest. Got it?" She quickly kissed me on my temple and hurried out.

I turned to the guys and gave them an amused look. "Bet you my mom bought at least 10 boxes of pizza." The boys laughed, their faces stuffed with pizza. I headed for the stairways, where faint giggling could be heard, followed by a shrieking. I smiled fondly before saying, "If I'm not back in 5 minutes, grab the kitchen knife and bandanas. They're on top of the fridge." I headed upstairs, where the noise grew louder.

Peeking inside Ella's room, I saw the three girls shrieking with laughter. I stepped inside, and Angel's face visibly brightened. She ran over to me, her blonde curls swiping at her face as she laughed delightedly.

"Maxie! You're here! I missed you lots and lots! I'm hungry! Can we eat?" She patted her stomach lightly. I laughed and ruffled her hair softly. She gazed at me adoring eyes.

"Come on, Ange. We have pizza downstairs, but it's disappearing fast, if you know what I mean." I winked slightly at her, and she seemed to understand. She jumped and flew past me, tumbling as fast as she could down the stairs to see her brothers.

Ella and Nudge both had one eyebrow raised, questioning me silently. I just grinned at her until their eyes slowly widened in understanding. Trying to be nonchalant, they checked their reflections in the mirrors on their dresser. Satisfied, both of them sauntered down the stairs. I didn't. I ran just like Angel. Hey, I'm really hungry!

I stepped down the steps to see Angel on Fang's lap, squealing. Fang had a gentle smile, a special smile, on his face, while tickling her in the stomach.

Angel noticed me and shouted. "Max, help me! Fangie won't stop!" Her pleas for help turned to laughter as Gazzy joined. Iggy hung back, still stuffing his face with pizza.

A tiny giggle behind me made me whirl around to face my sisters. They looked a bit out of place, but I gave them a smile and motioned for them to join us at the table. Nudge happily obliged, Ella following shortly behind.

Fang stopped tickling his sister and turned to me with a smile on his face. I grinned back, content. Then, just remembering my hunger, I dove for one of the open pizza boxes and grabbed a slice, polishing it off in 20 seconds. Like back at the food court, Angel watched with a sort of awe while Ella and Nudge scrunched their noses and put on a disgusted expression.

By the time everyone had finished, all of the pizza boxes were scraped clean. I stood up to go get the Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Taking out a tub of Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, and Chocolate Therapy, I called out, "Get your asses over here for whatever flavor!"

Footsteps pattered over to my direction, and Ella was the first one there. She held out her arms for her Phish Food, and I handed it willingly saying, "What do you wanna do tonight? Mom said anything was fine for her." She shrugged and went to hunt for a spoon.

Angel peeped her head in. "Max? I wanna sleep. I'm tired." A huge yawn overtook her, and she rubbed her sleepy eyes tiredly. I smiled at her. "Just a sec, honey."

Nudge and Gazzy came in, animatedly chatting, both of them smiling shyly. I handed Nudge Chocolate Therapy and asked Gaz, "What flavor?" He stood thoughtfully, peering into the freezer.

"The Peach Cobbler and a Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch for Iggy. He lives for that junk, although why it's beyond me," Gazzy shook his head. At the cinema, which was right across the kitchen, Iggy yelled out, "I heard that, Gaz!"

He rolled his eyes and strolled along with Nudge. I smiled behind their backs. Those two fit like a puzzle piece.

I was taking out a spoon to dig into my beloved Cherry Garcia when the hairs on my neck rose. Whipping my head around, I saw Mr. Dark-Tall-and-Gorgeous standing there, a mock pout on his face.

"Maxie, I want a S'mores. Pwease?" His already large and captivating eyes widened further, and a laugh tore from my throat. He flashed a crooked smile before gracefully stepping next to me and bending down to hunt for a S'mores.

While Fang was busy, I took a half-asleep Angel in my arms and carried her to the cinema, where I laid down a cot and gently rested a sleepy Angel down. She smiled blearily before falling into dreamland. I smiled and kissed her forehead tenderly before signaling to Ella about Angel and heading into the kitchen, where Fang was still searching for his ice cream.

A triumphant yell sounded, and I peeked at Fang. He was holding the ice cream in the air, smiling. I couldn't help but smile along. I closed the fridge door and sat at the stool. Fang joined next to me, both of us eating the pint of ice cream contentedly. Of course, I chugged mine down and snatched a piece of Fang's, who protested loudly and smacked a glob on my face. I shrieked and shook it off, making it land in his hair. Ha! You should've seen his reaction that time. Totally priceless. Deciding it was too good of an opportunity, I whipped my iPhone out and snapped a quick picture of him. That jarred him out of the shocked state and sent him lunging at the phone, which was being waved teasingly by moi. I quickly turned on my heel and flew out the door, Fang hot on my heels, both of us shaking from the laughter.

I shot into the cinema, where the others were lounging on the sofas or searching for a movie. They looked up as I burst into the room, surprised or smug (cough cough Ellanudge cough cough) as Fang tore into the room, nearly bumping into my back but regaining balance.

I made my way over to a crouched Ella and Iggy, who were talking and smiling dreamily. Huh. Maybe Tess wasn't his girlfriend. They were looking for good movies. Getting on my knees, I searched for a particular movie until I found the one I was looking for. I held it up and grinned wickedly. Ella and Nudge gulped quietly and the boys whooped, grinning like me. Fang whispered the name to Iggy, who nodded his agreement.

We all fought over to where to sit until Ella announced, "Okay, Max and Fang sit together, Gazzy and Nudge, me and Iggy. Scram." We hurried to get the best seats. Ella and Nudge got the lounge seat, Gazzy and Nudge got the really big beanbags (like, no kidding, they're HUGE), so Fang and I were left to the loveseat. Everyone except for me settled down comfortably. I was standing up.

"I'm going to check on Angel in, so lower the volume, ok? And pause the movie if it starts and wait for me," I ordered. They nodded. Another thought came to my mind.

"And refreshments. The popcorn is in the middle cabinet in the big pantry, soft drinks are in the minifridges over there," I pointed to the sort-of-mini-but-pretty-big-fridge that was sitting at the corner of the huge room. Everyone nodded.

"One more thing. Trashcans are at the back." With the mumbled responses, I headed over to a snoring Angel. I chuckled and tucked one of her wild curls behind her ear. She murmured in her sleep and turned to the other side. I stood up briskly and headed over to the movie.

Ten minutes later, the words _Paranormal Activity_ flashed on the screen. I glanced over to see Ella already looking slightly scared and Nudge clinging softly to a perfectly happy Gazzy. Snorting faintly, I settled back into my seat as the movie began.

* * *

I gasped quietly and my hand shot towards Fang's arm but didn't touch. His glowing watch read 1:36 am, which only made the movie scarier. I whimpered slightly and closed my eyes.

Nudge had been the first one to fall asleep. Her head was resting on Gazzy's shoulder, who tried to move as little as possible, but sometimes his sudden jolts caused her to float into half consciousness. She had gone back to dreamland murmuring incoherent things.

Ella finally got too scared of the movie and buried her face in Iggy's shoulder. He was faintly surprised but allowed her. She fell asleep also shortly with another grinning guy.

I was still awake, although I could feel fatigue creeping over me, inching over my already-tired body. I stifled another yawn and tried to relax on the movie.

Another 30 minutes later, everyone except me and Fang were sleeping, dead to the rest of the world, although I was just about ready to pass out. By the time the movie ended, I was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Fang shifted slightly and the sounds of screams cut off abruptly. He turned the movie off and settled in the seat, adjusting himself so both of us would e in a comfortable position. The last thing I felt before slipping into unconsciousness was a strong, ropy arm over my neck, guarding me.


	7. Chapter 7

My thoughts hazily rose to the surface as I regained half consciousness. Blinking, I tried to focus my bleary eyes on my surroundings and tried to get up, only to be stopped by a strong ropy object keeping me at bay. Squirming a bit, I looked down to see that it was an arm. Fang's arm, to be specific.

I was suddenly aware of a warm body under me, one with a muscular stomach and a rock hard chest that I used as a pillow, I realized. Damn, if anyone found out, I'd be in some serious uh-oh.

I gave up after 10 minutes of hopeless struggling, going from trying to coax him awake to even slapping his face gently. It was useless. He was like a rock, dead to the rest of the world.

After just lying there, trying to squirm out, a blinding light flashed brightly above me. I covered my eyes from the momentarily blinding light and stared at the object. It was a camera, held by none other than Gazzy, who was about to be dead if he didn't give the camera to me soon.

He was grinning wildly. A snort erupted from someone's mouth, and I turned my head slightly to see who it was. Iggy was sitting up in his blanket, an equally wicked smile spreading across his face. I noticed the rest of the gang had already woken up and was staring at me, some bleary-eyed and some bright, but they all had either a smirk or a huge grin on their faces. I growled softly.

Looking back up at Gazzy, I snarled, "Gazzy, if you don't give me back that camera in 5 seconds, you are going to be in a shitload of trouble." His smile fell briefly, but rose to a 100-watt smile as he pointed out, "You can't catch me if Fangster here is clutching on to you!" With those final words, he took off, cackling gleefully, the devil's incarnate sent by him.

With a sudden determination, I managed to rip one of Fang's ropy arm off of my body when he mumbled, "Don't leave." Everyone cracked up at his words, and I smacked him on the face. Not gently this time, but HARD. He woke up with a start, grasping at his nose, which gave me freedom. I shot off the couch and headed towards the direction Gazzy had run off to.

When I entered the kitchen, a smirking Gazzy sat at the bar looking at the pictures. An idea struck my head, and I smugly smirked. Being the quietest I could muster at let's see, I checked my watch, 7:45 in the morning, I snuck towards his bent back stealthily.

I rose up to where Gazzy was sitting and poked him in the sides. He yelped and fell down off the stool, laughing vigorously. This was Gazzy's, Iggy's, and Fang's greatest weakness. They were very, and I mean, VERY ticklish. I'm talking like one-tiny-poke-in-the-side-and-he-gets-a-laughing-attack kind of ticklish.

While he was lying on the floor, the camera had dropped and I had caught it. I made my way out the door for the escape, but I realized Gazzy wasn't chasing me, or laughing anymore. Much. I turned around, slightly baffled. Wouldn't he usually try to snatch it out of my hands?

He stood there with the hugest smirk on his face, his arms crossed. One hand gripped his phone. A cold feeling crept into my stomach and my breathing hitched. He. Did. Not.

Apparently Gazzy found out that I figured out what happened and was smart enough to run while he had the chance, because the smirk vanished like a sun going behind a cloud and hightailed it out of there. I stood there, still shocked.

When my senses finally reached me, I yelled and ran after Gazzy, muttering curses about the day he was born and some other stuff I really shouldn't mention on here.

It didn't take too long to find him. I mean, one, I'm faster than him, although he's a pretty fast runner himself. Two, he has some of the palest golden locks that it sometimes looks white. Third, every time he gets scared, he tends to use his, ah, special skill that he was nicknamed after. Let's just say we had gas masks at the ready during the movie. I spotted him weaving across the room of the guys that woke up. I crashed into the doorway, my leg slamming into the wall and my face hitting the door. (That is one awkward position, but it's a really painful one.) Regaining my balance, I charged after the poor boy, who was hiding behind a laughing Iggy.

Right when I was about to tickle him first (and ask questions later), a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around my waist, stopping me from charging after Gazzy and killing him. I didn't have to turn around and to see that it was Fang. His muscular chest and familiar touch already told me enough. At his touch though, I calmed down slightly and stopped struggling against Fang's grip. Gazzy and Iggy both visibly relaxed, while Ella and Nudge were laughing at the sidelines.

His breath was warm on my neck as he whispered, "Max, calm down. It's okay. You can get revenge later, when you've eaten and done all the things that girls do to get ready." My heartbeat suddenly sped up so that it was pounding in my ribcage. Little electric shocks coursed through my body as I suddenly felt everything, his gently yet firm touch, his warm breath on my neck causing the hairs at the nape of my neck to rise, and his chin, which rested on my head.

He chuckled as he released me, giving me a wink and throwing a "Don't kill them, Maxie!" before leaving the room and probably his house to change. Blinking, I stretched on the couch in front of the huge screen before I remembered Angel. Sitting up, I mumbled a quick excuse to a gleeful looking Ella and Nudge, who had that glint in their eyes, and went to check on Angel.

Softly I knocked on the guest bedroom door, where we had placed Angel last night because the movie could've woken her up. Silence greeted me, so I turned the doorknob and snuck in.

Angel was sleeping peacefully, looking truly like an angel at the moment. Her golden hair surrounded her face like a halo. Her expression was one of blissful peace, a smile etched on her face. I couldn't help but smiling; she looked adorable.

Not wanting to disturb her, I gently closed the door and turned to go towards the kitchen, where mounds of bacon and eggs were waiting for me. Practically drooling now, I followed my nose and worked through the maze of a house to the kitchen.

The gang was eating breakfast and chatting loudly to themselves. My stomach churned in anger as I saw Fang stealing a piece of bacon from my plate. MY PLATE! Growling in anger, I charged at him without a second thought. Gazzy's expression turned to one of mock horror, while Iggy and the girls had an amused look on their faces. Fang remained oblivious until I neared him.

The idiot looked up, just noticing me, when he saw my furious glare and my mouth frozen into a snarl; he looked a bit concerned before turning into teasing expression. Snatching the whole plate of my precious bacon, he took the piece on top and popped it into his mouth, grinning the whole time. I was getting madder and madder by the second, while the girls' expressions turned to slight fear; for Fang, obviously. And maybe the house going down in flames.

"FANG, GIVE ME BACK MY BACON!" I yelled. I was so furious I started seeing red spots at the edge of my vision. Fang, on the other hand, started looking a bit worried for my sanity and shook his head ruefully before giving me back my plate. Instantly, my mood drastically changed, and a smile shone on my face as I sat down next to Fang's spot, reaching for the plate of eggs at the center of the table. After a bit, I noticing nobody else was eating, so I looked up from devouring my plate.

Ella and Nudge had expressions mixed with relief and disgust. That was normal on a typical day, so whatever. Gazzy's mouth hung slightly open in awe of my eating skills, no doubt. Iggy had his hands covering his ears with an amused look on his face. And Fang, well, he was, normal. And by normal I mean a smirk plastered on his face, with his large, black puppy dog eyes shadowed by his dark curls, giving him a mock innocent look. I snorted softly and resumed eating.

Fifteen seconds later, everything was back to normal. We all chatted animatedly when Angel came in, blurry-eyed and yawning. She hadn't changed out of her pj's (no one did), which gave her a little messy look. "Hi, guys, what's for breakfast?"

I smiled. "Bacon and eggs. You want it sunny side up?" She nodded sleepily and slumped in the chair I was sitting in while I went to the kitchen. Iggy followed me, occasionally bumping into a chair.

As soon as we were in the kitchen, I whirled around. "Why are you in here? I can cook." Iggy snorted.

"Yeah, and unicorns are real, Max. Face it, you can't cook. Ella's told me all about you, and apparently you burned cereal. And that's got to be physically impossible." He shook his head. "Just let me do all the hard work, and you can give it to Angel pretending like you actually made it." He took my mom's apron hanging from a towel rack that read "Kiss the Chef". How can that boy cook sightless? Not my concern. He got working while I sat down at the stool near the island. He _was _right, about me not being able to cook. And I really did burn cereal, which is sad. Everyone else in my family could whip up anything from a cookbook with no trouble at all, but not me. I blame the cooking trait, or rather, lack thereof, on my dad. He couldn't cook anything to save his life either. I remember when I was banned from the kitchen when I was 13 because Mom had left me alone with the girls to babysit, and I had to fix them lunch. Fifteen minutes later, Mom came home to a burned house and an excited 13 year old and two scared 12 year olds. All in all, my mom is a pretty cool mom and judges fairly, but boy was she pissed then! And somehow, on top of that, both sides of our neighbors' gardens were burned to the crisp. I even set fire to one of their toolshed. I got in _very_ much trouble.

Iggy snapped me out of my train of thought by setting two plates of sunny side up eggs and bacon in front of me. With a stern look in his sightless blue eyes, he warned me, "Don't even think about eating this. Angel eats a lot for a six-year old, and she doesn't like people tampering with her food. She's kinda like you, actually. But my point is, don't touch it and try not to drop it." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mother," I said in a mock sugary voice. Then, taking the two plates while holding my breath so I wouldn't be tempted, I carefully made my way to a patient Angel, who looked more alert. She was laughing alongside Fang at a joke that he made.

As I made my way towards them, Fang looked up, his eyes sparkling in laughter. He looks gorgeous, I realized, when he laughed again, his voice deep but light. Unconsciously, I smiled softly to myself. Then realizing I was daydreaming about Fang, I quickly snapped out of it and returned to my usual state.

I set the hot plates down and mentally congratulated myself for not eating or drooling over the bacon and eggs. Angel dived in immediately, murmuring in satisfaction. I laughed faintly. She reminded me of myself when I was little. Shaking my head a bit, I sat down next to fang and watched angel eat with an affectionate gleam in my eye.

As she was gobbling up her third piece of bacon, fang turned towards me. "What are our plans for today?"

I smirked devilishly. "You up for a little fight?"

He grinned. "Whattta ya have in mind, Max?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something that involves…water. Lots and lots of it. And something, hmm, let's see, maybe…" My voice dropped down to a whisper as I leaned into Fang's ear to whisper my idea. He whistled appreciatively (not that kind of way…) and smirked. "Damn, Gaz better watch out. Oh yeah, this is payback."


	8. Chapter 8

My eyes scanned around my dim surroundings, looking for any potential danger, a gun secured in my right hand. Angel was next to me, holding her own tiny gun, looking slightly frightened but excited at the same time. She had a devilish smirk on her face, but a slight spark of fear in her eyes. Poor girl. Noticing her trembling, I held her a bit closer to my body, although it was pretty risky. Sensing my warmth, she relaxed and let go of my hand, scampering quietly across the room, giving me he universal signal for peace out before disappearing into the shadows. I was alone.

As my eyesight grew adjusted to the dark, a blur at the edge of my peripheral vision caught my eye, making me spin, gun held tightly in my hand. I focused my eyes in the general direction of where the figure seemed to be lurking I the dark.

I raised my gun and pointed, my finger poised over the trigger. I was determining whether to call for help or just to stick it out, but hey, I'm Maximum Ride. I don't call for help except for in desperate need. And this wasn't exactly desperate.

The figure stopped cold as he noticed my gun held in his direction. With a low tone I warned him, "Step out and don't even think about running. I'll pull the trigger if you do." He contemplated this for a moment, and then stepped out into the light with a cruel expression on his face.

"Oh, Max, I've waited for this for a long, long, time. Prepare to die." Without another warning, he held his own gun, identical to mine, and fired.

Jumping in action, I dodged every one of them, the missiles splattering behind me. I fired my own, missile after missile. He was pretty good at dodging, but he couldn't avoid all of my bullets, hit with nearly perfect accuracy. A single missile hit him square on the chest, and a beautiful splash of red bloomed and stained his shirt as he fell, almost gracefully, as he tumbled to the ground, groaning.

I nimbly made my way towards him. He was now sitting up, glaring at me through narrowed eyes. With an accusing voice, he grumbled, "Max! You just splattered red paint over my favorite shirt! Now Mom's gonna be mad at me!" He pouted. I laughed.

"Gazzy, then next time, don't do things you know you'll regret. It's gonna end up biting your ass sooner or later. Anyways, hope you learned your lesson!" I grinned like a little kid. Time for the bet money to come to Mama.

I left Gazzy trying to clean his shirt furiously while I made my way back to the others in the lobby, where they were waiting. When they saw me grinning like a Cheshire cat, Nudge and Ella groaned, which caused Iggy to groan. Fang and Angel smiled and high-fived me as I went to the complaining three and held out an expecting hand, dramatically giggling as high as my voice would go. With a glare at my general direction, Iggy slapped a ten into my hand (surprisingly accurate, too), Ella's and Nudge's ten's following quickly after. Smirking, I leaned in closer to them. "Never bet against me when it comes down to a fight. You know I'll win." Sighing in annoyance, the three of them rolled their eyes and nodded. Turning around, I looked at Fang and Angel. "Ice cream's on me; let's get moving, guys." With a happy nod, Angel bounced out of her seat and sped out of the door. Ella and Nudge protested, speeding after her, leaving Fang, Iggy, and me behind, along with a very depressed Gazzy, who was making his way towards us with a deadly glint in his eyes. Spinning around happily, I mumbled a quick excuse and skipped to Gazzy, who looked like he wanted to kill me. Grinning madly, I held out my hand, and he grudgingly smacked a twenty into my hand. (Gazzy had bet a twenty earlier. Too confident. HA.)

He looked pretty depressed at the sight of his money in my hand, so I took his hand and dragged him out, Fang and Iggy trailing after me, engaged in a serious talk. Fang's eyes briefly flashed up to mine, and I swore I saw jealousy burning in his eyes ferociously before dying out as quickly as it had come. Seeing that made me confused, and I temporarily stopped in my tracks, pondering. Why would he be jealous? He had nothing to be jealous about, absolutely nothing. Nada. Nope. Zero. Zilch. Hmm. I continued walking, pulling Gazzy.

Three minutes later, we stopped at a small ice cream shop called Felicity's Fantastic Ice Cream (made it up, hehe), which supposedly had ice cream to die for (according to the boys) and was cheap. I pushed open the door, bells jingling, and stepped in, holding the door for everyone.

The cool air inside caressed my face and I sighed quietly in relief. I hadn't counted Arizona on being so hot! It was like 150 degrees out there, and we were all roasting in the sun. I inhaled deeply, detecting chocolate and something fruity hanging in the air. Looking around, I realized most of the tables were packed, it being a hot day. Gazzy and the girls claimed two tables near the back while Iggy, Fang, and I ordered. The girls told me to order whatever, since they didn't care. Gazzy had one of the usual, whatever that was, and the rest we would have to see.

A perky girl greeted us at the counter, her nametag reading 'Isabelle'. "Hi, Fang! Hi, Iggy!" She smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. She looked at me, and her smile grew larger. "Hello! Are you a friend of these two idiots?" I laughed, nodding.

Fang stepped up. "We're not idiots, Iz. And we'll have our usual. What about you, Max?" I peered at the menu, considering what to choose. Finally I just asked, "What's their usual?" to Izzy, I decided to call her. She nodded.

"It's the strawberry cheesecake with M&M's in it. Sprinkles are optional, though they cost 60¢ more than the regular price. You can also add additional stuff. Here's the menu," she said, sliding a plastic sheet of paper at me. I looked over it and nodded.

"I'll get five of the usual, two with chocolate sprinkles and the other three with none; and also M&M's on all five, plus Fang's and Iggy's and one of Gazzy's usual," I said. Izzy smiled. (I know that's eight, and there's only seven of 'em, but Max is getting an extra. Teehee)

"Eight of the usual, coming right up!" She smiled and tapped something on the cashing thingie (I forgot what it was called, sorry! ) and looked up. "The total is $11.20, please!" I fished out two of my ten's and handed them to her. She took them and rang it. "Your ice creams will be served in 2 minutes. Thanks!" With a smile, I made our way back to the two tables with Fang and Iggy.

Gazzy (BTW, he's still in a shirt that made him look like he was shot, so people in the shop are staring at him) was talking earnestly to Nudge, who was drinking his every word and leaning towards him. Ella was sitting a bit farther away, trying to stifle a smile at the two and failing unsuccessfully. Her face brightened further when she spotted us coming. I laughed slightly at the soon-to-be couple, which caused them to look up and inch away from each other with furious blushes on their faces, looking like little children caught red-handed with their hands inside the cookie jar. We settled down in the seats (Fang, Iggy, and I on one table, and Gazzy, Nudge, and a slightly pouting Ella in the other) while waiting for our ice cream.

Exactly two minutes later, Izzy called for our number, signaling that our ice creams were ready. Fang and I jumped up simultaneously, both saying, "I'll get it."

Fang rolled his eyes. "As if, Max, you'd probably finish eating yours and starting on one of ours by the time you get to the tables."

"No I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would."

"No I wouldn't!"

"Yes, you would."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Y-" Fang was cut off by a slightly annoyed but amused Ella. "Can you two stop bickering over who gets the ice cream and just both get it? There _are_ two trays!" She said. Fang and I both rolled our eyes at each other and walked towards the counter, where a giggling Izzy was.

"What are you two, three year olds?" She shook her head, a smile on her face. Grinning, I took one of the trays while Fang took the other, thanking Izzy. She nodded once, and got back to work, still shaking her head at us.

As soon as the ice cream was delivered correctly, we all pounced on it like cats on mice. A comfortable silence filled the atmosphere as we all shoved the humongous chunks of ice cream in our mouths. Like seriously, it took ME five whole minutes to eat the whole bowl, so you know the thing's huge. It's kinda scary.

Of course I was the first person to finish my portion. Fang followed me dangerously close in second. As soon as I had finished, I grabbed the second bowl that I had bought and started gobbling that up. Fang snuck his spoon in the bowl and stole nearly half the bowl. The rest of them (besides Iggy) sat back and watched, too full to eat any more, as Fang and I bickered over how we should divide the portions.

"I bought it with my money, so more should go to me!"

"Yeah, but I told you about this place, so you wouldn't be having this at all if it weren't for me!"

"I finished first!"

"Sharing is caring, Maxie. Hasn't anyone told you that?" He smirked smugly. I snorted.

"Puleez, don't give me the whole 'sharing is caring' b.s., that's for the idiots that still get kisses from their mommies whenever they get a boo-boo. And didn't Strawberry Shortcake or something make that up?" Iggy cracked up.

"I really have no clue," Fang pondered. I giggled at the dazed expression that he got whenever he was thinking.

He snapped out of it, shaking his head faintly. His black curls sprang to life and tumbled around his toned face. I stared at one of the curls, mesmerized. Snorting, Gazzy reached over and snapped his fingers at my face, waking me from my daze.

"Max, we would love to keep watching you stare all lovey-dovey eyes at my brother, but we need to leave now. Some weird girls from our school are starting to stare at us," Gazzy said, smirking. I turned around, furiously blushing. A red-haired and a platinum blonde headed girl were peeking at our table with a resentful expression on their makeup-caked faces. They quickly turned back around and started chatting with each other as if we never existed. My blush had faded enough so I turned back in my seat, smirking at Gazzy.

"Sorry, but we all had enough of your's and Nudge's, excuse me," Gazzy and Nudge turned fire engine red. "Besides, isn't it always nice to have a fan club carrying your books and doing whatever you asked them to do? Ooh, whose fan club is that?" I stuck my tongue out at Gaz.

Iggy snickered. "One's a red and the other's a blonde, right?" I nodded, forgetting that he was blind, and then replied with a quick "Yep." He laughed louder. "Yeah, that's Fang's little group of stalkers. They always try to stick their boobs," I smacked him in the arm, cos Angel was here (thankfully she was too engrossed in the remaining drops of her ice cream), "in his face, which is highly inappropriate in school, but hey, I'm not complaining or anything." Ella smacked him playfully on the arm, and Iggy quickly changed his words. "Yeah, I do mind. It's so fake, you know?" He waggled his eyebrows up and down, which caused me to gag.

"Igs, we don't need the image, thank you very much. I've seen enough of slutty girls trying to show off their pathetically fake boobs," I whispered the word, "every time a jock passes by. Too much at our old school." I shuddered faintly in mock horror. "Oh, people's minds these days!" (A/N: This is one of my best friend's famous quotes that she slaps in my face every time. It's hilarious.)

Nudge laughed. "Yeah, Max, remember Mallory? OMG, that slut was sooo annoying! She'd walk around in the tightest clothes ever! Not to mention her surgery on her boobs! I mean, even the guys could tell! She even had the nerve to try to steal Sa-" Nudge's rant abruptly broke off, and Ella's and her eyes got huge as they searched my face for any reaction. I carefully hid my face so it would be void of any sort of emotion.

With a forced smile on my face, I stood up. "Come on, guys, let's go. We sat here for too long, and people are waiting for seats." I pushed my seat back and motioned for the rest of the gang to follow. They shuffled out of their seats and followed, slightly confused as to why I was suddenly acting like this.

Everyone except Angel let me fall back. Nudge gave me an apologetic look, which I returned with a tiny but genuine smile, letting her know she was forgiven for mentioning the douche. Angel took my hand, swinging it slightly as we walked side by side.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of stretching silence, Angel spoke up softly. "Maxie, are you okay? It looked like you wanna cry or throw something around."

I smiled at her faintly. "Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine. Just a bad memory of a bad person."

She smiled back at me, her large blue doe eyes shining innocently. "Was it a boyfriend that you didn't like?" Dang, was this girl psychic? It's like she can read my mind or something equally creepy.

I nodded. "Yes, and he broke my heart," I mumbled. She nodded, as if she understood. I pretended to brighten up, and in a perky voice, I said, "Hey, Angel, I wanted to explore the neighborhood and everything, so why don't you go ahead and catch up with your brothers? Tell them I'll be right there!"

She peered at my face closely, and then brightened. "Sure!" With that, she scampered off happily. As soon as she was out of my sight, I slumped and my happy façade vanished. Stumbling slightly, I sat in the shade of a big tree, leaning my head on the bark. The leaves rustled, welcoming me into their embrace.

For a moment, everything stilled around me as a hot tear slowly bloomed and trailed down my face. It slowly rolled down my face and hit the green grass with a splatter. That's when the flood of tears started, and the dam that had been holding all my pent up emotions burst free, letting loose a waterfall of tears.

I don't know how long I was there, crying and curled up under a tree, looking like I lost my ever-loving mind, but I felt a soft hand rubbing my back soothingly. Without looking up, knowing it was him, I opened my arms and sobbed into Fang's warm body, just letting go of all my emotions and memories of my past life.

**This is one of my crappy endings, and I'm really sorry, guys. But I gave a slightly bigger chapter to kinda make up for it, I guess, although it really doesn't make up for it. And I'd like to give a SO to one of my best friends, **_**f0reverinfinite**_**, for staying by my side and encouraging me to write. Thanks, girl!**


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